The skin of the human being, for example, is the largest organ and comprises about one-sixth of the total body weight. It protects the human being from ultraviolet rays; from mechanical, chemical and thermal injuries; from bacterial invasions and from dehydration and water penetration.
The skin is also the largest sensory organ, and contains nerve endings for touch, pain, pressure and temperature.
The three main layers of the skin comprise the epidermis, which is dry dead skin, nonvascular; the dermis, which is flexible, elastic and vascular tissue; and the subcutaneous, which are mostly fatty tissues.
The layers of the epidermis comprise the stratum corneum, which is a horny layer, made up of flattened dead cells; the stratum lucidum, which is a thin homogeneous layer; the stratum grandulosum which are granules effecting keratinization; the stratum spinosum, which are cells in the growing process; and the stratum germinativum, which is where new cells are produced and is also the location of melanin, a dark pigment.
The layers of the dermis comprise the stratum papillare, which are small, sensitive vascular papillare; and the stratum reticulare, which is the connective tissue composed of collagen.
The human body is about one-half muscle and comprises three types of muscles: (1) voluntary-striated, skeletal muscles; (2) involuntary-smooth visceral muscles; and (3) intermediate-cardiac muscles. With the exception of the eyelid muscles (obiculari oculi-involuntary) the present invention is concerned only with the voluntary muscles.
Muscle cells, muscle fibers, grow by enlargement not by cell division. Once a muscle fiber is destroyed it will not regenerate. However, surrounding muscle fibers may enlarge and take over its function. A decrease in muscle size due to lack of use is called “atrophy.” If a muscle is re-inervated within three to four months after loss of use, full function can usually be restored, but after four months of disuse muscle fibers begin to die. After about two years of disuse, usually no function can be restored to muscles, and the muscle fibers become restricted by fat and fibrous tissue.
Each muscle fiber contains thousands of myofibrils which run parallel with the muscle fibers and are the contractile elements of the muscle fiber. Each myofibril contains myosin (thick) and actin (thin) filaments which actually cause the contraction. When an impulse for a contraction is received, crossbridges located on the myosin filaments pull like oars causing a creeping motion. Muscle response to an impulse is an “all or nothing” response. Either the impulse is strong enough to cause a contraction in a muscle fiber, or it is not strong enough. If the impulse is strong enough, the contraction will be along the entire length of the muscle fiber. The more muscle fibers that are excited, the stronger the contraction will be.
Each muscle fiber has a neuromuscular function located at the middle of the fiber. This is the point where the nerve fiber connects with the muscle fiber, and therefore, is where a muscle fiber is best stimulated. The purpose of the neuromuscular fiber is to amplify weak impulses so that they are strong enough to cause a contraction. A motor point is a point of excessive excitability. This would be a location where several neuromuscular functions were found very close to each other.
Muscle fibers are individual entities, and can act independently of each other or in conjunction with each other. Muscle fibers run substantially parallel to one another the entire length of the muscle, and are separated from each other by a connective sheath called the endomysium. Muscle fibers are grouped into bundles called fasciculi. These fasciculi are separated from each other by a connective sheath called the perimysium. The fasciculi are grouped together to form muscles. Each muscle is enveloped by a connective tissue called the epimysium. Large blood vessels and nerves enter the muscle through the epimysium, and then begin to divide and branch until they supply every muscle fiber. Every muscle fiber has its own source of nutrition and stimulation. All of the muscle fibers that are stimulated by a single nerve fiber are called a “motor unit.” Each motor unit contains an average of 150 muscle fibers.
Muscle tone is the normal degree of tension in a muscle at rest, or the resistance of a muscle to passive elongation or stretch. Muscle tone in the human body is created and maintained by a steady discharge of motor impulses from the brain and feedback from the spinal cord via muscle spindles. The brain, via the central nervous system, sends steady impulses to the muscle causing it to contract. Muscle spindles, which are specialized fibers in the muscle, detect the contraction and send a message to the spinal cord via the peripheral nervous system. The spinal column sends another motor impulse back to the same muscle causing another contraction. This is how tension is maintained in the muscle. As time between the impulses from the brain increases due to age, sickness or accident, the tension or tone in the muscle decreases. There are several factors that can affect muscle tone (some increase it while others decrease it). The following factors will reduce muscle tone: (1) neurologic deficiencies, such as trauma, aging, diseases, and nutritional deficiencies; (2) metabolic deficiencies, such as aging, nutritional deficiencies, and poor circulation; (3) physical effects, such as trauma, stress, environment and lifestyle; and (4) mental effects.
The following factors will increase muscle tone: (1) neurologic support, such as removal of interference, physiotherapy, nutrition, and electroneurological stimulation; (2) metabolic support, such as increase of circulation by electrostimulation, exercise, nutrition, iontophoresis, and massage; (3) physical support, such as electrotone and exercise tone; and (4) mental support, such as education and positive habits.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,957,480, issued Sep. 18, 1990 to Morenings describes a Method of toning the muscles and tissues of the human face by stimulating the motor nerves and hence cause contractions of the muscles of the human face by applying predetermined galvanic currents, frequencies, and polarities through moistened tips of electrodes continually moistened with a liquid solution of positively and negatively charged particles for introduction into the tissues for nourishment of the muscles and surrounding facial tissues. The present invention does not utilize electrodes to apply galvanic currents, frequencies or polarities, which require special equipment and techniques.
Wrinkles in the skin begin to form as the skin ages. Wrinkles also are due to lack of muscle tone in the muscle fibers underlying the skin and appear to run in a direction generally at right angles to the direction of the muscle fibers or the fasciculi (bundles of fibers). The facial muscles are arranged in a complex pattern. A study of the orientation of the muscle fibers in the various groups of muscles makes it clear why well-known facial wrinkle patterns, such as “frown lines” in the forehead, “crow's feet” at the edge of the eyes, etc. appear and become more prominent as time goes on.
The prior art illustrates that there have been two main approaches to reduction or alleviation of facial wrinkles: (1) devices used directly on the skin, such as vibratory or rotary massagers, heaters or electrical instruments, and (2) special masks incorporating active elements such as pressurized fluid chambers, vibrators or weights.
Examples of the first type operating directly in contact with the skin are seen in the following patents.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,312,397 to Gebhard shows a handheld facial iron with a spoon shaped surface for applying pressure and warming the facial muscles. It uses a rechargeable power source and is applied directly to the face.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,730,050 to Huang shows a vibratory hand-held electric massager with two reciprocating heads that move back and forth laterally toward one another (as opposed to up and down as in prior art FIGS. 7 and 8.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,404,965 to Waits uses gears and eccentric rotating elements to create a “circular and spiral motion (FIG. 8) duplicating finger massaging.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,441,016 to Kanbar shows a vibratory massager with a special head fitting an electric toothbrush. Slots or grooves hold facial cream.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,733,634, issued May 22, 1973 to Golbe describes a hand-held skin cleansing device with battery-powered motor, speed reduction gearing and a rotary brush with axially extending bristles.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,699,952 issued Oct. 24, 1972 to Waters shows a hand-held battery-powered device for massaging or skin conditioning utilizing an orbitally-driven brush, and
U.S. Pat. No. 5,803,916 issued Sep. 8, 1998 to Kuznets et al shows a body and joints massage device with self rotating massage elements with passively rotating rollers.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,840,048 issued Nov. 24, 1998 to Cheng shows a skin brush massage method for treating the skin by brushing designated areas of the skin with soft nylon bristles in a clockwise direction in a designated sequence.
A commercially available example of the first type is a Microdermabrasion System with several interchangeable facial attachments, including cleansing brush, rolling massager and suction cups. The attachments are operated by a facial tool with a rechargeable battery and recharging stand. The Microdermabrasion unit is sold by The Sharper Image, as Model HF 650, to be used with facial cream to deep dean the skin and used directly on the face after opening the pores with a shower.
Examples of the second type using facemasks are seen in the following patents.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,928,262 to Harber shows a double layer facemask of lightweight felt with vibrators between the layers located as shown to vibrate specified muscles.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,724 to Marcus shows an elastic mask with confined liquid chambers and vibrator elements to cause the liquid to vibrate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,052,981 to Bachmann shows a somewhat elastic facemask with individual compressible “fingers” 56 and means to vibrate the fingers with variable speed.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,882,892 to Kosior shows a perforated flexible mask with weights (like 23) hung at particular locations to increase pressure when the user is lying face up.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,693,452 to McCune (1928) shows a facemask of elastic silk to hold (not exercise) sagging facial skin along with facial cream.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,507,493 to Robins shows an eye muscle exerciser of a rigid support and a cushioning liner against the eyes. The user moves the eye muscles against the liner.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,841,954 to Kalsi shows an occulo-facial massager with a rigid holder for a cushioning foam rubber layer against the eye area and a vibrator mechanism.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,396,881 issued Mar. 14, 1995 to Klein shows a facial mask for effecting toning of facial muscles by applying suction between two layers of flexible sheet material and pressing the mask against the face with fluid pressure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,092 issued Jan. 9, 1990 to Klein shows a facial mask with shaped pressure applicators and an expansible chamber for applying pressure to the terminal points of selected facial muscles, and
U.S. Pat. No. 3,557,781 issued Jan. 26, 1971 to Kaye shows a vibratable mask device for contacting facial and chin areas with foam and vibrating elements to impart vibrations through the foam.
The foregoing patents of the first type have the possibility of damage or injury to the skin because they act directly on the unprotected and delicate facial skin, while the patents of the second type are complicated and expensive to make and require fitting to individual faces in many cases.
Accordingly, one object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for reducing facial wrinkles that effectively tones and trains the facial muscles while protecting and stabilizing the facial skin during the procedure.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for reducing facial wrinkles, which allows the user to adjust the treatment and the type of applicator to correspond to the particular area being trained.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a simple and flexible procedure and tools for carrying out the procedure that effectively reduce wrinkles by training the facial muscles underlying the wrinkles.